Burning
by Hopeless Wanderer
Summary: [Troyella] Troy and Gabriella are just beginning to realize how deep their feelings for each other run. But a series of problems threaten to break them apart again. Only this time, Troy might not have the chance to win her back. [Modified to fit HSM2]
1. After The Show

Guess who's back! Okay so it's not that hard to guess knowing you already clicked the link and are now on the first page (internet context) of my _new_ fanfic! I have so many things to say, and I guess I'll just have to start them off here!

First of all, I'm deeply sorry that I deleted my last Troyella fanfic: After The Show. The guilt trip definitely took its toll, especially when I received an e-mail that told me my fic was nominated! I was like, youch.

So I guess now I have to explain myself. Admittedly, when I started writing the fic I had no idea in hell what the plot was going to be. In all honesty, I just wanted to write fluff, fluff, and guess what, more fluff! Apparently, my perceptions changed shortly after my first chapter. And I tried to make up for it. Only, I realized I really had made a mess of the first part of my story, in my point of view at least. And when I was finally able to devise a plot for ATS, I found that it didn't fit perfectly well into the first part of my story. Hence, OCD compelled me to click that delete button. I tell you I was possessed.

So here I am now, hoping to make it up to you. Some of you might notice similarities between this new fic and my old one, and yes there are. I will be reusing a lot of the themes and hopefully I won't charge myself with copyright infringement. I'm happy to note that I've got the whole plot sorted out already! (pulls out half a dozen party poppers and makes a mess in the room). I'm a bit rusty though so bear with me. I think I regressed in writing over the last few months. Hopefully I get back into the correct mindset.

To my faithful reviewers, I am indebted. Your reviews shan't be in vain! And after that long opening message, I am pleased to announce the arrival of my new fic: Burning.

**Chapter 1: After The Show

* * *

**It was silent in the small room. A young brunette was packing the rest of her clothes into her red and white duffle bag, the faint smiled placed on her lips showing but a fraction of the elation she felt from that night. She continued packing, absently humming the tunes she sang to not long before.

Gabriella was still in her own little world when a series of knocks startled her, the young starlet jumping at the sound.

"Gabi, can I borrow your make-up remover?" A muffled voice came from behind Gabriella Montez's dressing room door, bringing a smile to the brunette's face.

"Sure," she called out, bending over to get her make-up bag from beneath the dresser. "You can come in, Troy," Gabriella said, hauling the bag onto the table, "I'm done dressing." The door creaked open a moment later as Troy stepped into her supposedly intimate space.

"Do you realize how gay you sound when you ask that?" Gabriella mused, going through the contents of her bag. Not that anyone would ever think that of Troy. Only Gabriella had the backbone to make fun of the basketball captain.

"Well it fits the job description doesn't it?" Troy commented with a wide grin, "Thespian, gay, they're almost synonymous." Troy nodded dramatically, feigning an insightful air.

"Ha-ha-ha," Gabriella finished sarcastically, tossing him her make-up remover. "What ever happened to the basketball captain's manly libido?"

"That?" Troy asked, a mischievous smirk set on his face. "I think it was whisked away when you came along. If all girls were like you, I think I'd be safer if I stuck to men."

Gabriella shook her head, admittedly amused by his antics. Nevertheless she reeled her hand and smacked him at the back his shoulder, feeling as if she owed him that much.

"See, see!" He laughed, holding the spot she hit and backing away from her.

"Yeah, yeah, Bolton," she droned, pushing him out the door.

Troy turned around to face her just as she was about to close the door. Gabriella looked up as he did, her hazel eyes meeting his cobalt ones. Everything became still in a silent moment, their eyes vivid in emotion. Troy's composure soon cracked, and his eyes darted to the side.

"I'll meet you here in ten minutes?" he asked, panning the area and making brief instances of eye contact.

"Sure," she smiled, closing the door and disappearing from his view. Troy breathed in deeply, unsettled by the effect she had on him. It was like he was suddenly unsure of how things were and what he was supposed to do. Inside he was subjected to the pressures of figuring out where she stood in his life because something told him she could be something more than just a great friend.

Troy contemplated his situation in silence as he walked back to his dressing room. The smile he was wearing faded and the expression on his face turned blank, the mere implications of his thoughts bringing uncertainty and doubt to the picture. Moments later, he entered his dressing room. And with a mind only partially aware of what he was doing, Troy fixed himself up, dressed himself in more casual clothes, and packed his stuff. Closing the lights after making sure he didn't leave anything behind, Troy exited the room and locked the door behind him. He stood in the hallway for a while, his hands fingering something in his bag. Restlessly, he brought out a little black box, his eyes hovering over its velvet exterior. It was a gift he had for Gabriella. One he hoped she wouldn't take the wrong way. Taking a deep breath, he put it bag inside his bag's pocket and made his way back to Gabriella's dressing room.

In truth, he wasn't really sure of why he bought it. He knew that he only had her happiness in mind when he bought it, but he wasn't certain of what he wanted to say by giving it to her. Most of him argued that it was just a token of their friendship, something to express how much he treasured their relationship. But a small part of him felt like he was trying to say something more profound, something beyond the boundaries of simply being friends. He denied all notions of the sort, and dismissed them as random and meaningless thoughts.

But every time he was around her, those thoughts would recur, skewing his perception of how things were supposed to be.

Today, though, he told himself that his simple gift was purely an expression of his gratitude, nothing more. At least he tried to enforce that idea.

After a while, Troy found himself back outside Gabriella's dressing room. Gabriella was already outside, waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Gabriella questioned as she looked up, a bit of amusement laced in her tone.

"Just fixing up," Troy said, sending her a quick smile. He walked to her side and leaned against the wall, Gabriella watching his every move.

Something piqued Gabriella's senses as Troy moved closer. Not long after, she identified the peculiarity. "Is that…" Gabriella paused, getting a good whiff of his scent, "Woodspice?"

"Yeah," Troy replied with a slight flush, "I found it lying around in my bathroom back at home." Troy smiled sheepishly, feeling quite unnerved being under Gabriella's observation.

Gabriella smiled. The musky scent was vaguely familiar to her, and she had to admit it did smell rather good. _Edgy,_ she thought, familiarizing herself with the fragrance

"Gabriella," Troy spoke up, bringing Gabriella out of her contemplations.

"Hm?" she murmured, half in thought.

"I…" Troy brought his eyes up to hers, only to look away when they connected, "I want you to have this." _It's just a friendly gift,_ Troy reassured himself, bringing out the black box from his bag. Slowly, he handed it over to Gabriella.

"What's this?" Gabriella's eyebrows furrowed, a shaky smile forming on her lips. Hesitantly, she took the small box and opened it, her mouth going slightly agape as the contents of the box came into view.

"Troy, I," Gabriella started, slowly shaking her head, "I don't think I can take this." She carefully took out the box's contents and placed it on her palm.

"Why not?" Troy shrugged, acting unfazed.

"It's just…" Gabriella eyed Troy's little gift: a silver chain with a crystal pendant in the shape of a star. She held the pendant up to the light, the colors coming off it beautifully as it rotated gently in the air. "It's so beautiful."

Troy smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Gabriella turned back to Troy, a seemingly worried glint in her eyes. "But it's too nice," she replied, "I mean, why?"

Troy raised his shoulders against the wall, he himself unsure of what it was that made him think of giving her such a gift. "I just thought it would be nice." He reassured her with a smile. It was the smile that she rarely saw, never with anybody else. It almost felt like he reserved that smile for her. It was a very natural one, the type that wasn't forced in any way. "Now you can't _not_ accept it," Troy told her. "It's not like I can return it or give it to someone else. Silver might be welcome in Chad's wardrobe but I don't think the star would suit him."

Gabriella laughed a bit, taken by his humor. "Well, if you insist…"

"May I?" Troy asked impulsively, regretting his words moments after. Gabriella nodded stiffly, giving him the necklace. Slowly, she turned around and pulled her long black hair to her front. It was nerve-wracking for Troy _and_ Gabriella, both finding the moment more than a bit awkward considering they only saw themselves as friends.

_Why did I have to ask? _Troy mental slapped himself.

Troy swallowed hard, his heart beating faster as he undid the clasp of the necklace. Cautiously, he brought the necklace over her head and gently let it down, the pendant resting at the top of her chest. He brought the ends together at the back of her neck, his cold fingers brushing against her soft skin. Troy's breaths grew shorter, his hands growing increasingly stiff as he fumbled with the clasp. Finally, he managed to fasten the ends together after a few tries.

Troy backed away, catching his breath as Gabriella turned around. As the necklace came into view, its elegance poised against her tanned skin, Troy found himself praising his taste in jewelry.

"It's… nice," Troy commented, rather awed.

"Thanks," Gabriella flushed. "I mean for the gift too."

"You're welcome," Troy said, unable to hold back the smile on his face. "Well, shall we?" Troy asked, motioning for them to get going. Gabriella nodded, following Troy as they left the dressing rooms behind the East High Theatre. They exited through the backdoor and soon were out in the open air, a gust of cool air brushing past them as they headed towards the school's parking lot.

"So," Gabriella spoke after a while, "how about that for our last showing of Twinkle Towne."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Troy admitted, "exhilarating even. The whole experience was a nice break from the world I'm used to. And I'm kind of sad to see it end."

"Me too. I never thought I'd say it but I'll miss the practices." Gabriella fell silent in reminisce.

"I won't," Troy chuckled, "I swear, Darbus is a slave driver."

"That _is _one part I'd rather forget," Gabriella added, smiling. They both fell into a moment of silence, memories running through their minds.

"So… what's next for us?" Gabriella suddenly asked.

"Well…" Troy paused in thought. "I'm going back to basketball. The regional playoffs are in a few weeks and my dad's been bugging me day and night to get back into my A game. Which reminds me," Troy hesitated, lowering his head from view, "I won't be able to go to the celebratory bash later."

"Huh?" Gabriella asked, a mixture of shock and disappointment in her tone, "Why not?"

"We have basketball practice tomorrow," Troy sighed, "Early morning. Dad wants to make the most out of the time we have left. He didn't even trust me when I said I'd leave early."

"He just doesn't want to take a chance. After all, you _are_ the captain of the basketball team," Gabriella emphasized, giving him a nudge back to reality. Gabriella fully comprehended Troy's situation, and sometimes was more practical about it than he was. "It won't be the same without you though," she had to admit.

"Yeah, I know," Troy mumbled, ignoring how egotistic his words sounded. "Send my apologies?"

"Sure," she said, giving him a warm smile.

"Anyway, what about you?" Troy asked, trying to change the subject.

"What about me?" Gabriella asked, perplexed.

"What are your plans for the next few months?" Troy elaborated.

"Well," Gabriella paused in thought. "The New Mexico Science Fair is coming up," she informed him, though she tried not to sound like it was such a big deal.

"You're thinking of entering?" Troy asked, somewhat in admiration. "That's big! Something I'd never try," he chuckled, "I can't even understand the project titles of the entries!"

"I just thought I'd give it a shot." Gabriella shrugged, "Taylor and I are probably going to do a joint venture."

"Good for you," Troy said, his tone sincere. Gabriella saw that he was genuinely happy for her, and somehow she felt good knowing that. They continued walking in silence until they reached the parking lot, Troy spotting Chad waiting for him on the bench.

"Are you sure you won't be able to make it to the party later?" Gabriella asked hopefully.

"Don't count on it," Troy replied, chuckling. "I guess I'll see you on Monday then."

"Yeah," Gabriella breathed out, slightly disappointed. "See you then."

Troy watched as Gabriella disappeared behind one of the corners. Sighing to himself, Troy walked towards Chad, preparing himself for the onset of Chad's questions.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Chad asked, half in irritation.

_Now where did I hear that before?_ Troy thought, keeping his amusement to himself. "Stuff."

"Riiiiight," Chad lulled his words sarcastically. "So, did you give her the necklace."

Troy nodded warily as he took a seat beside Chad, his cheeks slightly reddening. Lucky for him it was too dark to notice.

"Figures. What was it for anyway?" Chad asked, masking his interest. Chad would never admit it, but for once he wanted to see Troy have girl problems. Not too serious though, just enough for kicks.

Troy shrugged, trying to act passive about the whole thing. "Just a gift."

"For what?" Chad pressed on, weaseling through Troy's defenses.

"For being a great _friend_," Troy stressed out, catching Chad's line of thought.

"Nothing more?"

Troy rolled his eyes, finding Chad's nosiness more than unwarranted. "_Nothing more_," he said in exasperation, desperately hoping that Chad would give up. "What more could there be?" he reasoned, begging for supposed enlightenment.

"As in, maybe it's a will-you-be-my-girlfriend type of gift?" Chad spoke cautiously, careful not to tick Troy off in the wrong way, not that he wasn't already.

Lucky for Chad, Troy managed to contain his annoyance. Defensive was something he did not want to appear as, knowing Chad would blow things out of proportion.

"Of course not," Troy stifled a nervous chuckle, trying to emphasize the absurdity of Chad's hunches.

Chad let out a breath of frustration, obviously not getting the answer he desired. To him it was evident that Troy and Gabriella had a special connection, the type that everybody looks for and some never find. And it only worsened his temperament knowing Troy was wasting precious time trying to deny it, even to himself.

"Troy, face it, you like Gabriella," Chad stressed, trying to get a point across.

"Yeah, she's a great friend and–"

"No you dolt," his irritation clear from his tone. "You like her more than that."

"Me?" Troy laughed uneasily, "No way! I mean… she's more like my little sister."

"Of course," Chad spoke mockingly, sarcasm once again evident in his tone. "Now since you claim you two aren't together or anything," Chad articulated, hatching his own scheme, "you wouldn't mind if asked her out, would you?"

Troy almost lost it at that, not really knowing why. The words vexed him at all the wrong spots, and it became very difficult to keep his head from blowing off. Troy pressed his eyes shut, sorting his emotions out.

"You already have Taylor," Troy managed to say, trying to point their conversation in a different direction.

"That," Chad winced, his tone dropping from the memory, "didn't go too well." He exhaled deeply before continuing. "Too many conflicting interests," he explained, the complications rising off his tone. "Gabriella on the other hand…"

"Don't you dare…" Troy blurted out before he could stop himself. His voice was dangerously low, threatening in a way Chad had never heard. The African-American cringed, but soon felt a gratifying sense of victory.

"Oooh," Chad teased, his expression turning annoyingly perky, "so you do like Gabriella that way."

"No," Troy reiterated, adamant in his stand. He had the conviction, but was a bit lacking on the excuses part. "I'm just being her protective older brother."

Chad snorted, fending off the laughter for a more appropriate time. "Okay, Troy," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Hey, any chance you might be her incestuous protective older brother?"

"Chad," Troy looked at his friend with a raised brow, finding the comment leaning towards the distasteful side, "that's just gross." Chad just chuckled, unaffected by Troy's words. The blue-eyed teen rolled his eyes and got up, stretching his arms, "Anyway, I've got to get home. Dad probably thinks I've gone off to the after-party."

"I wouldn't be surprised" Chad agreed, standing up to make his leave. "See you tomorrow cap," he said as Troy started walking to his car.

"You too," Troy called out, waving a hand.

"Oh, and Troy…" Troy stopped and turned around, half expecting some ill comment. Thankfully, Chad had had enough. Instead, he gave the captain two thumbs up and hooted.

"Nice moves on stage!"

* * *

Yikes. Yeah I know that probably sucked. Be honest people. I did my best, but I guess my best wasn't good enough… and now I should stop singing before the windows shatter. Thanks at least for reading. I hope I got people interested enough to read the next chapters, even though this one was uneventful to say the very least. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though. Reviews please?

Just a note, yes that's no typo, the chapter really is named after my last Troyella fic. Hopefully people don't take it as some fluke of creativity. I guess I'm also dedicating this chapter to all those who read "After The Show".

I do accept constructive criticism. Hopefully I won't have to accept flames though (crosses another set of fingers). I would like to thank all those people who reviewed for my previous fics… simply because I still feel the need to express gratitude. Sorry for those who spent time reviewing "After The Show". I'll do my best to make it up to you.


	2. Early Morning Blues

Ouch… I know it's been ages since I last updated. But to keep the introduction short, I think it would suffice, for now, to say I've been extremely busy and mentally overworked. And the result might actually show in this chapter. I feel like my mind's been wandering off too much lately, like I have the attention span of a goldfish. Couple that with a severe case of OCD and you get somebody like me (finally the penname does justice to the author). Hopefully I won't make too much of a fool of myself. I don't want to say too much so here it is: the next chapter of "Burning".

**Early Morning Blues

* * *

**"For the last time," Gabriella slammed her locker door shut, "_nothing happened._"

"Right," Taylor slurred, still disbelieving.

Gabriella sighed despondently, picking up her bag. She straightened her shirt out and tucked her hair back, ignoring the faces she got from the other students around her as she and Taylor started walking.

"I don't get why you think there'd be something between us," she said earnestly, her voice just audible over the cacophony of morning happenings.

Taylor shrugged, she herself not fully comprehending why she was pressing the issue so much. "There's just something there."

"Enlighten me," Gabriella sighed sarcastically, hurrying past a few hoots and jeers from a group of football jocks. She hugged her books closer almost defensively, the raunchy behavior unsettling her.

"Well," Taylor mumbled absently, sending death glares at the ill-composed students. Past the group, she spun back to Gabriella, who was oblivious to what Taylor had just done for her. "So you're saying you don't feel anything _at all _towards him?"

"Not the slightest hint of emotion," Gabriella said bluntly.

"Okay," Taylor huffed, grabbing Gabriella's wrist and yanking her around so they were face to face, "not only is that completely impractical, due to the fact that everybody has to feel something towards another person, but–"

Taylor stopped abruptly, her tongue oddly drawn back and her mouth agape.

"But what?" Gabriella folded her arms across her chest and frowned. Momentarily, Gabriella thought Taylor had run out of comebacks and turned to continue walking. But as soon as she took her first step, Taylor spoke up once again.

"What's that on your neck?" Taylor's voice came in unnervingly calm to Gabriella's ears.

Gabriella's heart lurched. "It's just a necklace," she said, adding a few steps between them.

Taylor quickened her pace and caught up to Gabriella. "Nice necklace," she intoned, clearly more astute than she was letting out.

"Thanks." Gabriella replied, giving off a perfunctory smile.

"How come I've never seen it before?"

"Have we known each other for that long? Clearly you memorize every item in my wardrobe," Gabriella retorted, heavy sarcasm laced in her tone.

Taylor shrugged, ignoring Gabriella's apparent irritation. "I just thought it looked more recent. You know… the design."

Gabriella sighed and wordlessly continued walking, conscious of the trouble she was in.

"We're soaring, flying–"

"Taylor, could you please just–"

"There's not a _star_ in heaven that we can't reach," Taylor continued melodramatically, not forgetting to emphasize her point despite her lack of tune.

"Okay, okay!" Gabriella hissed between her teeth, dragging Taylor to one of the nearby and less cluttered corridors. "It was a gift from Troy. Happy now?"

Taylor nodded vigorously, her smile showcasing her satisfaction. "So does that mean–"

"No," Gabriella cut her off sternly, "We're not dating." Then she quickly added, "And don't think we ever will be. So would you please just give it a rest?"

"Fine," Taylor huffed, following Gabriella back into the main corridor. More students were hustling about now, their classes just minutes away. Gabriella wove through the corridor traffic, Taylor trailing her.

"Why are you bugging me so persistently about it anyway?" Gabriella asked, scanning the billboards they passed, "It's not like I ever saw him that way."

Taylor snorted then mumbled just loud enough for Gabriella to hear. "As if."

Gabriella grunted, frustration apparent. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

"What?" Taylor rolled her eyes, finding Gabriella impossibly stubborn. "Are you that naive? Look at him! How can you _not_ think that way about him?"

Gabriella shrugged, unfazed by Taylor's implicit accusations. "I guess I'm just not a superficial girl. And besides, what ever happened to 'lunk-head basketball man'?"

"I would have hated myself if I admitted it before but since that's not the case now," Taylor trailed off, almost like she was talking to herself. "He _is _quite a looker, you know? Blue eyes, killer smile, wonderful package…"

Gabriella cleared her throat pointedly, "physical details set aside?"

"Oh… well, the clique wars are over," Taylor pointed out, "I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Yeah right," Gabriella shook her head disbelievingly, smiling faintly. "I bet that leaf has Chad Danforth written all over it."

"Don't–!" Taylor warned, her voice rising well above its norm. Some of the students jumped at the sound, jerking their heads towards Taylor.

Gabriella herself backed away, watching as Taylor took several deep breaths. At first, she didn't want to say anything, the topic seeming a bit touchy. Then, in a stroke of twisted brilliance she decided to pursue the conversation to give Taylor a taste of her own medicine.

"First date blues?" Gabriella asked, masking her delight furtively.

Taylor fell silent, hesitant at first to say anything. Then it became evident that she couldn't hold silence much longer. "Everything went wrong!" Taylor stressed out, "Everything about our 'date', though you couldn't possibly call it that because it was more of an egomaniacal festivity, I swear if there was a record for talking non-stop about yourself it would certainly go to Chad that–"

"Woah, hold on there," Gabriella laughed at Taylor's expense.

Taylor bit back a shriek, her face contorting in a hate fit.

"What happened?" Gabriella prodded further, shying her smile away from Taylor.

"It was constant Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad, Chad," Taylor exclaimed, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Chad can do this, Chad is good at this, Chad likes this, Chad knows this… I reiterate: Chad, Chad – Oh and guess what? More Chad!"

Gabriella chuckled, "I think I get what you mean. That bad, was it?"

"You think?" Taylor huffed, her face livid. "And if he wasn't talking about himself, he was talking about basketball – like _I_ could be more interested."

"I can see where you had your difficulties," Gabriella noted with a smile, checking her watch as they neared their classroom.

"And _I _tried to put it nicely at the end," Taylor continued venting, "I told him: 'I don't think this is such a good idea'. I guess that must've been a pretty harsh blow to his ego, which was probably a good thing considering how blown up it was. The thing is he wouldn't stop bugging me about it."

"Sounds like someone I know," Gabriella smirked, passing through their classroom door.

"Shush," Taylor ignored the brunette. "As I was saying, when I reached my limit, I just," she paused, seemingly deep in thought, "well – maybe I was little harsh on him." Taylor finished, not really looking disturbed by the realization.

"What _exactly_ did you say?" Gabriella asked as they set their bags down and took seats next to each other.

"That his mouth was bigger than his brain and that if I heard one more self-focused word come out of that blabber of his I would personally slit his throat," Taylor said coolly, somehow perfectly at ease with her words.

"Wow," Gabriella said, "You really didn't hold back did you?"

"Nope."

"And what did he say?" she asked, watching as more and more people filed into the room.

"Nothing," she stated simply, "He was in a daze when I left him, looked like he'd seen a ghost. He probably wasn't expecting something like that to come from me." Taylor said, cocking her head up a bit arrogantly.

"Did you give him any reason to?" Gabriella looked at her friend skeptically. "I mean," she explained, "Did you let him know during the course of your date how bad it was going?"

Taylor fell silent for a moment, her mouth hanging open like she was about to say something. "I would have," Taylor finally said, sounding a little unsure, and then she continued in a slightly more confident tone, "but he just kept going on and on… I couldn't get a word in."

Gabriella looked expectantly at Taylor for few seconds then decided against asking any more questions. It was quite clear to her that Taylor was still a bit worked up about the event, and that her judgment was probably clouded. In any case, their talk wasn't going to get any more productive. She took another look around the classroom and let out a soft sigh of disappointment. Pulling out a few notebooks from her bag, she twisted her wrist to check how much time they had left before homeroom.

"So, about the science fair…" she began, flipping through her notes.

"What about it?" Taylor mumbled, looking spaced out with her head lazily propped up by her hand.

"I've cased several topics, all local to the Albuquerque region," Gabriella flipped through her notebook, marking some of the pages and making short notes. "We can do things like…" she started, her voice sounding strained as she twisted around to get a folder from her bag. Opening it, she began to read aloud, "Arsenic content in local soil and rainwater–"

"The scope's too broad," Taylor commented passively, "and I've seen that done a thousand times."

"What about energy supplementation by alternative methods?" she asked hopefully.

"Cost-wise, I don't think it would be a good idea," Taylor pointed out. Gabriella sighed and began scanning her notes again.

"I saw a good one before," Taylor spoke slowly, her eyebrows scrunched together as she started concentrating more on their conversation. "I think it was: Using soil absorption rates to map probable locations for underground water chambers."

"That would be good," Gabriella mused, then frowned shortly after, "but it's nearing summer and I don't think it's a solid topic."

"Yeah," Taylor admitted, letting out a deep breath, "I guess you're right."

For the next few minutes they continued to exchange ideas and possible topics for their project. But so far they hadn't had any luck finding one that they could actually work on, the more popular reasons being funds and time constraint. And so it seemed after a while like their conversation wasn't going anywhere, which was frustrating for both of them.

Gabriella was busy defending her last proposition – one that came with a sewerage study Taylor was flat out unwilling to do – when Troy came in. He took his usual seat at the front and glanced at the wall clock, registering more or less five minutes till homeroom started. Finding nothing else to do, he turned around, hoping to catch Gabriella's attention. Much to his disappointment, she was still busy chatting away with Taylor. He tried making obvious gestures like clearing his throat loudly and greeting some acquaintances at the back which he usually didn't do. After many failed attempts, a soar throat, and a few perplexed faces, he sighed and slumped back into his seat. Gabriella was still absorbed in her conversation.

Without really realizing what he was doing, Troy just started to watch her. It was like he involuntarily slipped into a side of himself that couldn't take his eyes off her. He watched her every motion almost obsessively, her hands as they slipped through her dark tresses twirling them near the end, her mouth as it opened to speak words he couldn't really hear, her face as she smiled at something Taylor had just said or frowned from disappointment, and her eyes when they sparkled in the sunlight filtered through the classroom windows. He watched sub-consciously until Chad waved a hand in front of his head, the afro-haired teen turning to look in the same direction. Seeing what was there, or more appropriately, _who_ was there, he let out a light chuckle. Chad took a seat behind the basketball captain and smirked, "Stop staring."

Troy hastily whipped around and took the opposite view. "I-I wasn't staring," he stuttered, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Sure you were," Chad said, waving off Troy's denial with a laugh. He leaned in closer so that nobody else could hear their conversation. "I thought you didn't like her like that?" he whispered, feigning his surprise.

"I don't," Troy said loudly, not caring if he sounded defensive. He picked up his bag, and aimlessly explored its contents. "I was just… looking around," he finished lamely, pulling out a pen and some random textbook he didn't really need.

"If you say so," Chad commented in a lulled tone. Troy didn't respond, feeling like it would a waste of precious breath. In truth, Chad's insistence was starting to annoy him, mostly because he felt like it was planting the seed of possibility into him. He felt himself thinking more and more about Gabriella and what it was he felt towards her, that same feeling he could not decipher. And the ephemeral thought that there could actually be something there left Troy confused more often than not.

Troy brushed away his thoughts like he frequently did and tried to concentrate on whatever it was he needed to do, which at that point was unknown to him. Absently, his eyes wandered to the book that he had placed on his table.

_Chemistry,_ he read. Suddenly, something piqued him from the back of his mind.

"Chad," Troy said warily, "What are we doing in chemistry class today?"

Chad stared blankly at Troy for a while then all too suddenly dove inside his bag for his makeshift planner. He sorted through the mass of papers he had, straightening out the crumpled pieces as Troy watched nervously.

"Troy," Chad fretted, wide-eyed as he stared at a piece of yellow paper he pulled from the mess, "we have an exam today."

Troy continued to stare at Chad, hoping to death that his friend had just been joking. When he finally realized Chad wasn't, he slumped further down his chair resolutely, covering his face with his hands.

"I'm dead," he mumbled through his fingers.

"T-There's still more time," Chad said, trying to be positive. "We can cram through our breaks… which gives us around… an hour."

Troy just groaned, pulling out his notes and opening his book, making a brief note to himself that he wasn't in the correct mindset to study. Troy knew it wouldn't help much but there was nothing else he could do.

Gabriella and Taylor on the other hand, were as much at ease as they were on any other day. They had in fact, studied way in advance for the exam and were more than prepared to get flying colors. Their biggest problem, which others would fail to see as significant, was the undecided topic.

"What about this." Gabriella sounded almost desperate as she read once more from her notes, "extracts from scorpion venom used to combat some diseases."

"That sounds good," Taylor said after a moment of thinking, nodding her acknowledgment. "We could do something like that. My mom's a doctor so she can probably help us out on the medical terms and some of the research. But please, if we decide to go with that topic, don't even think about making _that_ our title. It sounds so… mundane." Taylor cringed and added a theatrical shiver to make her point.

"Okay, okay," Gabriella laughed, partly from relief that they actually found something they didn't turn down. Just then, Ms. Darbus walked into the classroom, voices getting softer and chairs scraping against the floor alerting the two girls of this. Gabriella quickly placed all her notes back inside her bag and Taylor followed suit. Looking ahead, she caught a glimpse of Troy and Chad sliding notebooks and books beneath their chairs, the looks on their faces deeply worried.

And though Gabriella didn't know what was going on, she found herself worrying for them too.

* * *

Okay so I actually have a lot more to say. Where should I begin… well for starters, I've had many obstructions one after the other, the first being a couple of weeks after I posted the first chapter. I actually got an unsatisfactory grade in my creative writing class which pretty much smashed my morale. That left me unable to write for months. After that classes started getting hectic. Then news regarding the plot of the second movie came out, and I decided to redo my story so it would coincide with the second movie. Hopefully it will come out okay. The last thing that came in my way was my laptop breaking down, which was a real pain. I find it frustratingly hard to write on our desktop computer. And I don't like anybody watching me write, that becoming a problem because our computers are right next to each other.

So after many excuses I'm here to give my deepest apologies. My only prayer is that I actually finish this story.

I just finished watching the second so hopefully I can weed all the parts of my story that wouldn't cohere. I have to say, I actually cried in the movie… which makes me a freak of nature because I'm a guy.

Thanks to all who reviewed my last chapter. It really meant a lot. Hopefully I can gain back the confidence to write again…

…and early apologies if this chapter isn't any good

Read and Review! (wink)


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